Knitting-machine.



L. L. WILSON & E. BAQUETTE. KNITTING MACHINE. APPLIUATION FILED 001'. 10. 1907.

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KNITTING MACIIINE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.10.1907.

928, 1 66. Patented July 13, 1909.

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KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLIU-ATION FILED 00T.10, 1907.

Patented July 13, 1909.

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mnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn nnnnnnnnnnnnnrm LOUIS L. WILSON AND EXILIAS PAQUETTE, OF ELYRIA,

OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO LAWRENCE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAS- SAOHUSETTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

KNITTING-MACHINE.

Patented July 13, 1909.

Application filed October 10, 1907. Serial No. 396,695.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LOUIS L. WILSON and Exams PAQUETTE, citizens of the United States, residing at Elyria, in the county of Lorain and Stateof Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Machines; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to circular knitting machines, and more especially to that class of ma chines which knit a continuous tubular fabric having pockets formed at intervals on one side which form the heels and toes of the individual stockings into which the fabric is divided.

It is the object of the present invention to increase the production of this class of machines and to also improve the quality of the fabric produced.

In accordance with one of the principal features of the invention the machine is provided with two sets of knitting cams arranged to form two knitting waves which follow each other about the circular series of needles during rotary knitting, one set of cams being so mounted and arranged that it may be rendered inactive durin the knitting of the heel or toe. A yarn eed corresponding to each set of knitting cams is provided so that during rotary knitting two yarns are knit in two continuous parallel spiral .courses to form the leg or foot of the stocking. The effect of any inequalities in size or character of different parts of each yarn are thus neutralized .to a great extent and a fabric is produced which is more uniform in appearance and texture and more agreeable to the touch than is produced by machines which knit a single yarn in a single continuous spiral course. Not

only is a better and more uniform fabric produced, but that part of the fabric which is knit during rotary knitting is produced in one-half the time Without any increase in the speed at which the machine is run.

Further features of the invention contemplate the automatic operation and control of one set of knitting cams so that it will be automatically thrown out of operation or rendered inactive when the relative inotion between the needles and cams is changed from rotary to reciprocating in going on to the heel or toe and will be again automatically thrown into operation or rendered active when the motion 'is changed from reciprocating to rotary after the heel or toe has been completed.

The invention may be embodied in various forms of circular knitting machines, and for the purpose of illustration is shown in the accompanying drawings embodied in a machine which in many respects is similar to the machine illustrated in the patents to Mayo, No. 474,671, May 10, 1892, and No. 745,449, December 1, 1903, and which will for convenience be referred to as the Mayo machine. I

The invention will be readily understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation showing so much of the head of a knitting machine as is necessary to illustrate the present invention; Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of the same; Figs. 3 and 4: are views showing developments of the inside and outside of the cam cylinder respectively; and Figs. 5 and 6 are sections on lines 5'5'and 6-6 respectively of Fig. 3.

In the machine illustrated in the draw ings, the devices for effecting the narrowing and widening, the means for throwing the needles not used during the narrowing and widening out of operation at the beginning .of the heel or toe and returning them into operation at the completion of the heel or toe, and the mechanism for changing the motion of the cam cylinder from rotary to reciprocating and from reciprocating'to rotary, are substantially the same as the corresponding mechanisms and devices in the Mayo machine. The needle cylinder is the same in construction as the needle cylinder of the Mayo machine, and is supported in the same manner. Those needles which are not used during the formation of the heel and toe are provided with long butts, while the needles which are used during the knitting of the heel and toe are provided with short butts, as is common in this type of machine.

The knitting cams which are active during rotary and reciprocating knitting, comprise the stitch cams 3 and 4, the center cam 5, and the switch cam 6- The narrowing and widening devices which cooperate with these cams in knitting the heel and toe comprise I corresponding cam in the Mayo machine,

and is operated and controlled in the same manner and by similar devices.

In addition to the knitting cams which are active during both rotary and reciprocating,

knitting, the cam cylinder 1 is provided with a second set ofknitting cams comprising the stitch cam 14 for drawing down the'needles, the cam 15 for raising them to normal position, and the switch cam 16 for directing the needle butts into the path of the stitch cam 14. During rotary knitting both sets of knitting cams are in action and the butts of all the needles are directed into the path of the stitch cam 14 so that this cam and the cam 15 act to form a knitting wave in the needles similar to the knitting wave formed by the stitch cam 4 and the cooperating cam which raises the needle to the normal level. The two sets of knitting cams are arranged at substantially diametrically opposite points on the cam cylinder and yarn is fed to the knitting waves formed by the two sets of cams b yarn guides 17 and 18 formed in the v latch ring 171. One or both of the yarn supplies, and preferably the yarn supply from which the yarn is led to the guide 18, is mounted to rotate with the cam cylinder in any suitable manner. Thus during rotary knitting two knitting waves are continually traveling about the circular series of needles, and two threads or yarns are being knit in parallel spiral courses two circular rows or courses of stitches being formed during each revolution of the cam cylinder. When the motion of the cam cylinder is to be changed from rotary to reciprocating, the shifter ring 20 through which the action of needle elevating cam 13 and the action of the pickers is controlled is released by the cam 21 and is rotated by the spring 22 until the.

stop 23 on the ring engages the controlling lever 24. This movement of the shifter ring throws the ca'm post 25 into the path of the latches for the lifting pickers 7 ends, so that the narrowing devices are thrown into action. The same movement of the shifter ring causes acam arm 26 to move into position to operate the cam-13 so that it acts to v throw the long butt or instep needles into the upper or inactive plane.

vThe devices for operating the cam 13 consist of a slide 27 mounted'onthe cam cyl-v inder and provided with a rack 28 engaging a segmental gear 29 which issecured on the short shaft 30 which carries the. cam 13. The slide 27 is provided with a radially projecting pin 31 which rides over a cam surface on the cam arm 26, thus raising the slide. This movement of the slide swings the cam 13 so that its lower projecting 11p 3 is brought into the path of the long needle butts. As'the rotation of the cam cylinder continues the long butts ride up the lip of the cam 13 and the instep needles are thus lifted and thrown out of action. At the same time that the instep needles are thrown out of action and the narrowing devices thrown into action, the stitch cam 14 is also thrown out of action or rendered inactive so that during the'narrowing and widening the short butt needles are operated upon by the stitch cams 3 and 4 only, and the heel or toe, as the case may be, is knit from the yarn or a continuation of the yarn which was fed to the knitting wave formed by the stitch cam 4 during the rotary knitting. In order that the stitch cam 14 may be automatically rendered inactive at this time the switch cam 16 is mounted upon a pin 32 Thispin is mounted; to slide radially in a block 33 and is provided at its outer end ;with a recess which is engaged by one end of a bell crank lever 34. The other end, of the bell crank lever is connectedjby means of a link 35 with an eccentric pin 36 carried by the shaft 30. vWhen the shaft 30 is rocked to operate the needle elevating and lowering cam 13 as above described the lever 18 is operated to withdraw the stitch cam 16 from the path of the short needle butts. The short butts of the needles which are operated during the knitting of the heel and toe, therefore, pass by the stitch cam 16 and are not directed into the path of the stitch cam 13, which remains inactive during the knit ting of the heel or toe.

The depressing pickers 9 and 10 are thrown into operation at the proper time by a movement of the controlling lever 24 which is moved by suitably constructed pattern mechanism to release the shifter ring at this time and allow it to move to the extremity of its throw under the influence of the spring 22. When the widening operation has been completed the motion of the cam cylinder is changed from reciprocating to rotary and the shifter ring is returned to normal position. This movement of the rim throws the cam posts which operate the picker latches'into inoperative posltion, and also throws a' cam arm 37 into osition where it is engaged by the pin'31 out 0 slide 27. As the p n- 31 rides under-the -cam surface on the arm 37 the slide 27 is depressed.

This, movement of the slide rocks the shaft I 30 so that the upper lip of the, cam 13 is brought into the path of the needle. butts in 30 the upper or inactive plane, and thus the instep needles are returned to the lower or active plane. This rocking movement of the shaft 30 also projects the switch cam 16 into the path of the short butt needles so that the stitch cam 14 is thrown into action or rendered active when rotary knitting is resumed.

hile the features of the invention have been. shown embodied in a machine constructed to: form both the foot and leg of the stocking by rotary knitting, it will be understood that the broader features of the invention are not limited in their application to such form of machine, but may be embodied with advantage in machines constructed to otherwise form the foot, the knitting cams and cooperating devices being modified to suit the type of machine in which the invention is embodied. It will be also understood that the relative movementbetween the needles and needle operating cams to effect rotaryor reciprocatory knitting may be produced by. a movement of either the needle cylinder or knitting cams without departing from the invention.

Having explained the nature and object of the invention and specifically described one form of machine in which the invention may be embodied, what we claim is 1. A circular knitting machine, havin in combination, a needle cylinder, a set of l r nitting cams arranged to operate u on the needles during rotary knitting an durin the narrowing and widenin narrowing an widening devices, devices or throwing the instep needles out of operation at the beginning'of the narrowing and widening, a second set of knitting cams, and means for throwing said secondset of cams out of operation during the narrowing and widening and into operation on all the needles at ranged to operate u on all the nee the end of each narrowing and widening, substantially as'descrihed.

2. A circular knitting machine, having, in

ting cams arranged to operate upon the needles during rotary knitting and during the narrowin and widening, means for throwing the instep needles out of operation at the beginning of the narrowing and widening, a secondset of knitting cams, means for throwing said second set of came out of operation at the be inning of the narrowing and widenin an means for throwing the -instepgieed es into action and for, throwing the second set of knitting cams into operation on all the needles at the end of v each narrowing and widening, substantially as. describe 3. A circular knitting machine, having, in combination, a needle cylinder, a set of knitting cams arranged to operate u on the needles during rotary knitting an durin thdnarrowing and widenin narrowing an widening 'dGVlCGS, a needle e evating cam for throwin the instep needles out of operation at the eginning of the narrowing and widening, a second set of kittin cams arles durin rotary knitting, an means for throwing said second set of cams out of operation when the instep needles are rendered inactive and into operation on all the needles at the end of combination, a needle cylinder, a set of kniteach narrowing and widening, substantially as described. In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures, in presence of two wltnesses.

Witnesses:

M. C. MOEPLE, MAUn CALLELY. 

